Asia is the world’s largest continent according to actual size, as well as population, and contains two of the most populous countries—China and India-in the world, and the two largest according to size-Russia and China. Almost 30% of all the land on the planet belongs to Asia, and almost 4 billion people live there. According to some geographers, geologists, and scientists, Europe is actually a part of Asia, but for years, the distinction between the two is considered to run between the Ural Mountains, Caspian Sea, and through the Bosporus. Geologically, Europe and Asia do occupy the same landmass, as does Africa and the Middle East.
Asia is all about size: Russia is the largest country in the world, according to actual space, while China, and its 1.3 billion people is the most populous on the planet. India is not far behind with just over 1 billion people. To put this into perspective, the difference in population between China and India is roughly equivalent to the population of the United States. 60% of the world’s population lives in Asia.
Being such an enormous landmass, the climates and geographic regions vary immensely. The continent ranges from the Arctic Circle in Russia, to the rainforests and hot, humid jungles of South and Southeast Asia. Northern China and Mongolia share Asia’s largest desert (4th in the world), the Gobi. The continent also has the highest mountain range in the world, the Himalayas, which contain more than 100 individual mountains which measure over 7,200 meters. Of course, Mt. Everest-the highest mountain in the world at 8,850 meters—is also located in the range, and is located on the border of Nepal, China, and Tibet.
Many different ancient civilizations inhabited the lands of Asia throughout the ages. China is one of the oldest continuing civilizations in the world, with historical records dating back to roughly 3000 BC. Ancient Indian societies existed at about the same time, although in several different forms, kingdoms, and empires. The region has produced some of the greatest religions the world has known, such as Taoism, Buddhism, Hinduism, and if one includes the Middle East as a part of Asia, then all major religions come from the continent.
Recent economic changes have gathered steam, and India and China have experienced tremendous growth over the past ten years. Their markets have come online, and industry, technology, and manufacturing have taken off. The recent trend of ‘outsourcing’ where first-world companies set up offices and factories in developing countries to take advantage of cheap and plentiful labor, has been an enormous boost to the economies of the region. India, with its huge amount of English-speakers, has benefited greatly from this. China is now undergoing what can only be described as an Industrial Revolution, and scarcely a product can be bought anywhere in the world where at least a component was not made in China. Also, the region is becoming increasingly more important in the realm of financial services, with Shanghai and Mumbai joining the traditional financial centers of Hong Kong, Singapore, and Tokyo. |
